ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. bat — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. track — a song
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com